Dromos\u202fLabs, the developer behind the decentralized exchanges Aerodrome<\/a> and Velodrome<\/a>, is merging the two platforms into a single DEX called Aero.<\/p>\n According to a press release shared with The Defiant, the upgrade will expand Aerodrome\u2019s Base-based platform to additional networks, starting with Ethereum mainnet and Circle\u2019s Arc, while Base will remain the primary hub for the unified platform.<\/p>\n \u201cAerodrome has been successful on Base and is excited to expand to effectively service other Ethereum networks via Aero,\u201d Alexander Cutler, founder and chief executive officer of Dromos Labs, said in the press release. The company gave a launch window of Q2 2026, but didn\u2019t provide a specific date.<\/p>\n To power the unified DEX, Dromos Labs is introducing its upgraded operating system, METADEX03, designed to reduce value leakage, lower costs, and improve trading efficiency across Ethereum-compatible networks.<\/p>\n METADEX03 adds features such as Slipstream V3, which captures value usually lost to arbitrage bots, and MetaSwaps, which enables cross-chain trading from a single interface, according to the release.<\/p>\n At launch, Aero will operate across all chains where Aerodrome and Velodrome are currently deployed, alongside several new ones including Ethereum and Circle\u2019s Layer 1, Arc<\/a>, recently launched in testnet. <\/p>\n In commentary to The Defiant, Luis A. de la Cerda, executive director of the Aerodrome and Velodrome foundations, said that the upgrade will also introduce a new native token for Aero. Holders of AERO and VELO tokens will be able to transition to the new token, which will manage governance, rewards, and incentives across the unified platform.<\/p>\n \u201cBy linking all of EVM under one token, Aero can operate at a scale no other token has ever reached, concentrating the full power of MetaDEX03 to generate, capture, and coordinate on chain economic activity,\u201d De la Cerda told The Defiant.<\/p>\n De la Cerda added that while the existing Aerodrome and Velodrome protocols will remain functional, they \u201cwill no longer be supported after Aero\u2019s launch.\u201d<\/p>\n Launched in August\u202f 2023 on Coinbase\u2019s Layer 2 Base network, Aerodrome has grown to become the largest DEX on the network by trading volume.<\/p>\n At press time, the platform is holding $475.9 million in total value locked (TVL), making it the fourth-largest protocol on Base by TVL, per data<\/a> from DefiLlama.<\/p>\n Velodrome<\/a>, meanwhile, was launched in 2022 for Optimism\u2019s Superchain ecosystem and currently has almost $39 million in TVL, making it the third-largest protocol on OP Mainnet.<\/p>\n The platforms\u2019 native tokens, AERO<\/a> and VELO<\/a>, are both up 30%-40% over the past week, but down 50% and 88% respectively from their December 2024 all-time highs, according to CoinGecko. <\/p>\nHow Aero Works<\/h2>\n
New Token for Aero<\/h2>\n
Aerodrome vs. Velodrome<\/h2>\n
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